Rapa Nui, the indigenous name of Easter Island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. A society of Polynesian origin that settled there c. A.D. 300 established a powerful, imaginative and original tradition of monumental sculpture and architecture, free from any external influence. From the 10th to the 16th century this society built shrines and erected enormous stone figures known as moai , which created an unrivalled cultural landscape that continues to fascinate people throughout the world.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is the most isolated island on Earth. It is 2,000km from the nearest spec of land. Famed for its stone heads, or maoi, it is one of the wonders of the world. This photo is of the only maoi on Easter Island to be restored with the white coral eyes. The eyes were discovered after a toppled maoi was moved and the eyes found underneath. All upright maoi on the island, save for those found still intact at the quarry, have been restored since 1950.